On Saturday, 13th March 2010 the Russian vocal ensemble LYRA gave their second very successful concert at Highgate. The group presented Russian Orthodox and folk music together with international pieces of vocal music in a quality that is usually only experienced in reputable opera houses and music halls. Thank you to our sponsor Armitage Clegg & Co. for supporting this fantastic event.
The Fraylach Spielers
On Sunday, 31st January 2010 we enjoyed a fantastic Klezmer concert with the Fraylach Spielers. The band was superb and introduced us in a fabulous way to Klezmer - Jewish folk/ soul music. A big thank you to Mixenden Pharmacy for their financial support. Here are some photos of the evening:
Nigel, Loz, Phil and Steve
Steve - an outstanding "fiddler" and virtuoso
"Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay"... the audience just loved it!! (And the band too, by the looks of it)
-----------------------------------------------
Calderdale Big Band
Thank you for supporting our concert with the Calderdale Big Band on 17th October 2009.
It has been a fantastic evening of Jazz & Swing with this excellent group of young musicians and the proceedings support Phakamisa and CICS. We sold out - again!
We would like to thank our generous sponsors Farrar Builders and Amanda Dalby Funeral Services. Their contributions made this concert possible and allowed us to keep admission fees at a reasonable level. Please find their telephone numbers on the poster. Here are some photos of the great evening:
Interesting facts about the two charities the concert was in support of:
The audience is captivated by the lively and highly professional sound of the Calderdale Big Band
Concert with the vocal ensemble LYRA from St Petersburg (17/05/09)
Below you can read a review of the concert published by the Evening Courier.
To see photos of the concert please go to the gallery.
KINDLY SPONSORED BY O&M ELECTRICAL SERVICES LTD
What the press said:
Halifax Evening Courier:
"World of golden domes
Published
Date: 19 May
2009
By Julia
Anderson
Lyra
Highgate Methodist Church
Lyra are a superb four-piece vocal ensemble from St Petersburg.
They immediately established a delightful rapport with the audience, who were
treated to a fascinating insight into the Russian psyche.
Glamorous in evening dress, they began with some Russian Orthodox Church music,
their reverberant voices perfectly blending in close harmony. These solemn,
meditative chants had an urgent spiritual intensity which transported us to a
world of golden onion domes and stern icons. It was spellbinding.
Then, introduced by melodious tenor and leader Andrey Sysoev and accompanying
one another on the piano, we heard Natalia Andreeva's direct, unfussy, clear,
ringing soprano in Schubert's Du Bist Die Ruh, Dmitri Darov's effortlessly
powerful baritone in Stradella's aria Pieta Signore and Cavantina di Valentine
from Gounod's Faust, and the rich, expressive voice of pre-Raphaelite beauty
Zlata Gogol in Ponchielli's Romanza di Cieca. Their dramatic range and vocal
control were truly thrilling.
After the interval they donned national dress to sing some Russian folksongs,
some solo, some in harmony, brilliantly characterised whatever their mood.
Troika evoked snowy Steppes, Golden Bee a comic song accompanied by gestures,
Dead Field was a desolate lament, sung with almost unbearable feeling, I Still
Love Him was full of yearning, while Danya conveyed the loneliness of a cold
autumn night.
This fantastic concert ended with a joyous Kalinka."
Russians want to rush back
Published Date: 29 May 2009
They fixed a date to sing in Calderdale after Melanie Beaven, a steward at Highgate, set up a website promoting the church. Lyra were touring the UK and looking to add dates to their calendar, and within weeks of setting up the website Melanie received an e-mail asking if they could visit the church for a musical evening.
The concert was a sell-out event attended by 100 people and raised £600, which will be shared between the group's travelling costs and the church's building fund.
Andrey says the ensemble, which has toured annually since 2002, had been to towns and cities including London, Cardiff, Liverpool Oxford and three Scottish towns, including Inverness, this year. "We have had a good reception everywhere and everyone has been appreciate and responsive," he says.
Melanie says: "They brought the house down and I hope they will come back to Halifax. The acoustics in the church were wonderful."
